We did not discuss the letters published by Irakli Gharibashvili, he did not mention them, and I did not ask any questions about them, — Public Defender Levan Ioseliani stated after leaving the penitentiary institution where he visited former Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili.

As the Public Defender notes, he spoke with Gharibashvili about the situation regarding long-term visits.

“I visited Irakli Gharibashvili in his residential cell, familiarized myself with the conditions of his detention in prison, and spoke with him on all issues, including his health, nutrition, and so on. I received exhaustive information on everything. As for the issue for which I had entered — that is, regarding the visit — yes, according to Mr. Irakli, a third, long-term incentive visit had been agreed upon, which was later cancelled. However, there was no additional documentation or written appeal regarding this, since such a visit falls under the prison’s discretion, within the authority of the head of the penitentiary institution. According to Mr. Irakli, there was such a promise, but it was later changed.

I also spoke with the prison administration and listened to their position as well. Of course, they have no particular negative or unfavorable attitude toward the prisoner. Their disposition is also that the incentive policy they had toward Irakli Gharibashvili, as toward other prisoners — this practice exists in the prison that many prisoners receive incentives — should continue on their part. As for why it was not possible to schedule this visit during that period, according to the explanation of the prison administration, this is related to infrastructural issues; repairs were underway in several places where meetings take place, and therefore, according to their statement, it was not possible to schedule this visit at that time. However, for the future, I can confirm that the prison administration has no principled objection of any kind to continuing toward Mr. Irakli the same attitude that it had until now, that is, that he periodically received incentive visits,” Ioseliani stated.

He was also asked whether he spoke with the former prime minister about the letter published by Irakli Gharibashvili yesterday.

“We did not discuss the letters published by Mr. Irakli Gharibashvili, he did not mention them, and I did not ask any questions about them. If information about a crime is circulating, this should be of interest to the investigative bodies; when the investigative bodies do not identify the problem or investigate within a reasonable time, in such cases there is a practice where people turn to the Public Defender and the Public Defender inquires about the reason for the delay. All questions related to a crime should be responded to by the relevant agency,” Ioseliani stated.

To another question — whether he spoke with Gharibashvili about the psychological pressure he had mentioned, or about the observance of security measures — Ioseliani replied: “I can voice what Mr. Irakli conveyed to me.”

“As for his prison conditions, including the conditions of treatment by the administration toward him, he expressed no complaints whatsoever regarding this. If anything of the sort had taken place, believe me, I would be the first to say so. The only issue regarding which he had a complaint was the cancellation of the visit, about which I have informed you. It is difficult for me to say more than this,” Ioseliani stated.

Recall that Irakli Gharibashvili’s lawyer Lili Gelashvili a few days ago called on the Public Defender to visit Irakli Gharibashvili. According to the lawyer, Irakli Gharibashvili’s rights are being violated, which should be verified by the Public Defender.

“A long-term visit was scheduled for 26 August. He was supposed to see his children, whom he had not seen for three months, and this visit was cancelled. How the cancellation of a scheduled visit is a lie is not difficult to verify,” the lawyer stated.